DAILY- HOMILY

APRIL 3, 2011
4TH SUNDAY OF LENT – A

1 Sm 16:1, 6-7, 10-13 / Ps 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6 / Eph 5:8-14 / Jn 9:1-41
or 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38

1 SAMUEL 16:1, 6-7, 10-13
In those days Yahweh asked Samuel, "How long will you be grieving over
Saul whom I have rejected as king of Israel? Fill your horn with oil
and be on your way to Jesse the Bethlehemite for I have chosen my king
from among his sons."As they came, Samuel looked at Eliab the older
and thought, "This must be Yahweh's anointed." But Yahweh told Samuel,
"Do not judge by his looks or his stature for I have rejected him.
Yahweh does not judge as man judges; humans see with the eyes; Yahweh
sees the hear t." Jesse presented seven of his sons to Samuel who
said, "Yahweh has chosen none of them. But are all your sons here?"
Jesse replied, "There is still the youngest, tending the flock just
now." Samuel said to him, "Send for him and bring him to me; we shall
not sit down to eat until he arrives." So Jesse sent for his youngest
son and brought him to Samuel. He was a handsome lad with ruddy
complexion and beautiful eyes. And Yahweh spoke, "Go, anoint him for
he is the one." Samuel then took the horn of oil and anointed him in
his brothers' presence. From that day onwards, Yahweh's Spirit took
hold of David.

EPHESIANS 5:8-14
Brothers and sisters, you were once darkness, but now you are light in
the Lord. Behave as children of light; the fruits of light are
kindness, justice and truth in every form. You yourselves search out
what pleases the Lord, and take no par t in works of darkness that are
of no benefit; expose them instead. Indeed it is a shame even to speak
of what those people do in secret, but as soon as it is ex posed to
the light, everything becomes clear. And what has become clear becomes
light. Therefore it is said: "Awake, you who sleep, arise from the
dead that the light of Christ may shine on you."

JOHN 9:1-41
As Jesus walked along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. He
made paste with spittle and clay and rubbed it on the eyes of the
blind man. Then he said, "Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam." (This
name means sent.) So he went and washed and came back able to see. His
neighbors and all the people who used to see him begging, wondered.
They said, "Isn't this the beggar who used to sit here?" Some said,
"It's the one." Others said, "No, but he looks like him." But the man
himself said, "I am the one." The people brought the man who had been
blind to the Pharisees. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made mud
paste and opened his eyes. The Pharisees asked him again, "How did you
recover your sight?" And he said, "He put paste on my eyes, and I
washed, and now I see." Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not
from God, for he works on the sabbath"; but others wondered, "How can
a sinner perform such miraculous signs?" They were divided and they
questioned the blind man again, "What do you think of this man who
opened your eyes?" And he answered, "He is a prophet." They answered
him, "You were born a sinner and now you teach us!" And they expelled
him. Jesus heard that they had expelled him. He found him and said,
"Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered, "Who is he, that I
may believe in him?" Jesus said, "You have seen him and he is speaking
to you." He said, "Lord, I believe"; and he worshiped him.

REFLECTION
It is one thing to claim to be a Christian, but it is another thing to
really be a practicing Christian. It is one thing to claim to live in
the light, but another thing to actually experience living in the
light.

Today's readings are all about the contrast of living in the light or
in darkness. The first reading from the first book of Samuel
demonstrates that if we have not received the true light, we behave as
if we see and yet we are still blind. Even our judgments will be
influenced by our blindness. But, if we have received the true light
from God, then our judgments will be made in that light.

In the second reading, Paul tells us that we should avoid the ways of
darkness and we should walk in the light of the Lord. The Scripture is
one important place where we find this light of the Lord. We should
allow this light to shine not only in the Church but also in our homes
and Christian communities,

Today's Gospel tells us about a blind man who truly never saw the
light since his birth, but is given his sight by Jesus, the Light of
the World.

There are two journeys in today's Gospel that have come to an end. The
first journey is that of the blind man, who after receiving his sight,
is questioned by the Pharisees and abandoned by his parents "for fear
of the Jews." He becomes the one who teaches others about Christ. He
says: "If this man was not from God, he would not do what he has
done," he is "the Son of Man," "the prophet" whom I now believe and
worship." His journey from blindness to the light has come to an end.

The second journey is the journey of the Pharisees, the "learned"
custodians of the traditional faith, those who should be leading
people to the true light. In their quest to understand the miracle of
the cure of the blind man, they are sharply divided whether it really
occurred or how it could have occurred. These were people who claim to
have the knowledge and the authority to teach the truth about God, but
have fallen into blindness because of their stubbornness and refusal
to recognize Jesus. Their journey from sight to blindness has come to
an end.

What are the lessons that today's readings have for us during this
Lenten season? Lent is surely an invitation for us to ask ourselves
whether we are walking in the light or in the darkness. Have we worked
to make our faith grow deeper and more mature? But it is not only in
matters of faith that we need light. We also need light to overcome
blindness in many other ways.

As we move towards Easter, let us ask ourselves: Do I ever experience
blindness? What can I do to open my eyes to really see? Do I really
see and appreciate the good works of my fellow workers, community
members and family members? Or am I sometimes blinded by prejudice?

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of Tessa C. Yang
… for the personal intentions of:
- JP and Danica Nabua, Mei, Tito Nabua, Milo
- Josheil Dapo
… Thanksgiving: Dr. Marlye Angeles, Jazmine Lozada, Paco Maramag and
Paz Jose
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Doctor Roger John and Eugene Neumayer
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them.
May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Julian Tyler Yu Hwan
- Birthday: Ramon Jose S. Gregorio
- Birthday: Julian Paul Reyes
- Thanksgiving: Bishop Gabriel Reyes Ordination as Bishop
- In Memoriam (+): Lorenzo Y. Co (Feb 16,1916 - Apr 3, 1996)+
… for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers
and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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